Friday, November 25

It's Friday and time for a little interview of an artist on Etsy I admire and I'm friend with... Today I am welcoming Mable of Happee Monkee and her absolutely gorgeous photography. Mable has traveled Europe and it shows on her pics. She's also an avid food lover.

ECS: Mable,
please kindly introduce yourself, your work, where are you currently living and
anything else you would like to share about your background? (travels etc…)

Hi! I’m Mable and I’m the creator of HappeeMonkee.
I’m a freelance photographer and travel writer (copywriter, and when needed,
book editor) that sometimes lives out of her suitcase. I’m very fortunate to be
married to a lovely man who brings me along his travel. My job is to cook and
give him head scratches.

ECS: What
are your sources of inspiration for blogging and creating your lovely photographs?

Michelangelo said David was already in the stone
and all he needed to do was chip the rest away. It’s the same with photography.
I firmly believe that the shot is already there,I capture the essence and share
its glory. God gives us so much beauty and good wherever we go and so, our job
is to see beauty in everything.

ECS:How
did you get started on Etsy? Is it your day job or do you have another
activity?

Long story short, my husband and I were posted
to a small town in Sweden for six months and I needed something to occupy
myself with. I’m a wordsmith as well, so occasionally I do some writing for
magazines or copywriting for fashion catalogues. I find myself needing a good
balance between words and visual. I love taking photos and I love writing,
can’t live without one or the other!

ECS: Not
only do you run your Etsy shop but also a great blog with super good recipes (I
have tested a few of them…). Tell us more about it.

Haha… In 2006 I had just moved to Melbourne
(from Malaysia). I didn’t have a job or many friends but I had all this creative
energy in me. Having worked in a magazine house for years, I learned how to
style food. So the blog was an outlet for me to express myself. Moving out of
home meant I had to learn to cook for myself and as I explored different recipes,
I thought, ‘Hey, why not document it so I’d remember what I did?’

ECS: Do
you have plans to expand your brand? Feel free to share any of your ongoing
projects and dreams!

I’m passionate about writing a cookbook. I truly
believe that everyone should learn how to cook because it’s healthier and so
much fun. There is huge satisfaction when I’ve just made something from
scratch. And I think (not unlike Auguste Gusteau, from Ratatouille)‘Wow
that was easy! If I can do it, anyone can!’

I want to write a cookbook for teenagers or
young adults who have moved out of home for the first time. I think there’s
just too much junk around us. And why eat junk when you can have beef
bourguignon?

ECS: Are you celebrating Christmas? Are you decorating your home? Any tips?

This is in fact the first time I’m celebrating
Christmas. We’re celebrating with Gavin’s family this year and we just brought
out the Christmas tree. I love a silver and navy blue theme. Ever since I was a
kid, I had always wanted to decorate a Christmas tree. I’m Chinese so we
usually have red, red and red at Chinese New Year. For once, I can actually
have a different colour scheme!

Hooray!
I love promoting my shop. I’m really proud of my photos. It gives me great joy
to look at and serve people from all over the world. My thoughts are, ‘These
photos make me really happy, I hope they make others happy too!’

I
love Venice so very much. I would love to go back. It’s such a beautiful place.
I don’t care if it’s touristy or sinking, it is just amazing.

I
have too many favourites because each photo represents a very special memory. I
see it and I remember the sight, smell and what I was doing at that moment.
It’s like looking through a family album. I have one last photo to share; this
was taken in the Hall of Mirrors in Versailles, Paris. It was a dream come true
to walk through this hall.